Marmot Biology

Marmot Biology
Author: Kenneth B. Armitage
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 421
Release: 2014-07-24
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1107053943

"Marmot Biology Sociality, Individual Fitness and Population Dynamics"--

Rodent Societies

Rodent Societies
Author: Jerry O. Wolff
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 627
Release: 2008-09-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0226905381

Rodent Societies synthesizes and integrates the current state of knowledge about the social behavior of rodents, providing ecological and evolutionary contexts for understanding their societies and highlighting emerging conservation and management strategies to preserve them. It begins with a summary of the evolution, phylogeny, and biogeography of social and nonsocial rodents, providing a historical basis for comparative analyses. Subsequent sections focus on group-living rodents and characterize their reproductive behaviors, life histories and population ecology, genetics, neuroendocrine mechanisms, behavioral development, cognitive processes, communication mechanisms, cooperative and uncooperative behaviors, antipredator strategies, comparative socioecology, diseases, and conservation. Using the highly diverse and well-studied Rodentia as model systems to integrate a variety of research approaches and evolutionary theory into a unifying framework, Rodent Societies will appeal to a wide range of disciplines, both as a compendium of current research and as a stimulus for future collaborative and interdisciplinary investigations.

Cooperative Breeding in Mammals

Cooperative Breeding in Mammals
Author: Nancy G. Solomon
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 400
Release: 1997-03-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0521454913

COOPERATIVE BREEDING AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN ANIMAL SOCIETIES.

Animal Dispersal

Animal Dispersal
Author: N.C. Stenseth
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 359
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9401123381

4.1.1 Demographic significance Confined populations grow more rapidly than populations from which dispersal is permitted (Lidicker, 1975; Krebs, 1979; Tamarin et at., 1984), and demography in island populations where dispersal is restricted differs greatly from nearby mainland populations (Lidicker, 1973; Tamarin, 1977, 1978; Gliwicz, 1980), clearly demonstrating the demographic signi ficance of dispersal. The prevalence of dispersal in rapidly expanding populations is held to be the best evidence for presaturation dispersal. Because dispersal reduces the growth rate of source populations, it is generally believed that emigration is not balanced by immigration, and that mortality of emigrants occurs as a result of movement into a 'sink' of unfavourable habitat. If such dispersal is age- or sex-biased, the demo graphy of the population is markedly affected, as a consequence of differ ences in mortality in the dispersive sex or age class. Habitat heterogeneity consequently underlies this interpretation of dispersal and its demographic consequences, although the spatial variability of environments is rarely assessed in dispersal studies.

Marmots

Marmots
Author: David P. Barash
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 396
Release: 1989
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780804715348

In this book, based on over twenty years of study around the world, the author summarizes and synthesizes virtually everything that is known of the social behaviour and ecology of marmots. The organizing principle of the author's approach is evolution by natural selection - and thus, the degree to which the social behaviour of free-living animals can be interpreted as representing adaptations to particular environmental conditions. This book is essentially a single, widespread genus (genus Marmota comprising fourteen species found in North America and Eurasia. As such, it represents a productive union of theoretical insights from Darwinism and modern sociobiology, accompanied by a wealth of empirical data. Marmots are notable in that they constitute a relatively homogeneous group, made up of numerous species which greatly resemble each other. However, they occupy widely varying habitats - from temperate, lowland elevations to (more often) alpine meadows - and theory would predict behavioural adaptations to match their habitats.

Comparative Social Evolution

Comparative Social Evolution
Author: Dustin R. Rubenstein
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 479
Release: 2017-03-24
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1108132634

Darwin famously described special difficulties in explaining social evolution in insects. More than a century later, the evolution of sociality - defined broadly as cooperative group living - remains one of the most intriguing problems in biology. Providing a unique perspective on the study of social evolution, this volume synthesizes the features of animal social life across the principle taxonomic groups in which sociality has evolved. The chapters explore sociality in a range of species, from ants to primates, highlighting key natural and life history data and providing a comparative view across animal societies. In establishing a single framework for a common, trait-based approach towards social synthesis, this volume will enable graduate students and investigators new to the field to systematically compare taxonomic groups and reinvigorate comparative approaches to studying animal social evolution.

Measuring Behaviour

Measuring Behaviour
Author: Paul Martin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 242
Release: 1993-04-22
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 9780521446143

A clear and concise practical guide to the principles and methods of studies of behaviour.

Social Predation

Social Predation
Author: Guy Beauchamp
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2013-12-07
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0124076548

The classic literature on predation dealt almost exclusively with solitary predators and their prey. Going back to Lotka-Volterra and optimal foraging theory, the theory about predation, including predator-prey population dynamics, was developed for solitary species. Various consequences of sociality for predators have been considered only recently. Similarly, while it was long recognized that prey species can benefit from living in groups, research on the adaptive value of sociality for prey species mostly emerged in the 1970s. The main theme of this book is the various ways that predators and prey may benefit from living in groups. The first part focusses on predators and explores how group membership influences predation success rate, from searching to subduing prey. The second part focusses on how prey in groups can detect and escape predators. The final section explores group size and composition and how individuals respond over evolutionary times to the challenges posed by chasing or being chased by animals in groups. This book will help the reader understand current issues in social predation theory and provide a synthesis of the literature across a broad range of animal taxa. - Includes the whole taxonomical range rather than limiting it to a select few - Features in-depth analysis that allows a better understanding of many subtleties surrounding the issues related to social predation - Presents both models and empirical results while covering the extensive predator and prey literature - Contains extensive illustrations and separate boxes that cover more technical features, i.e., to present models and review results

African Mole-Rats

African Mole-Rats
Author: Nigel C. Bennett
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2000-03-09
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 9780521771993

This volume, first published in 2000, explores the range of social systems in this fascinating group to understand how complex social systems evolved.